Category Archives: Random

The dictatorship of pride

The Business of Heaven

From the Business of Heaven:

It is a terrible thing that the worst of all the vices can smuggle itself into the very centre of our religious life. But you can see why. The other, and less bad, vices come from the devil working on us through our animal nature. But this does not come through our animal nature at all. It comes direct from Hell. It is purely spiritual: consequently, it is far more subtle and deadly. For the same reason, Pride can often be used to beat down the simpler vices. Teachers, in fact, often appeal to a boy’s Pride, or, as they call it, his self-respect, to make him behave decently: many a man has overcome cowardice, or lust, or ill-temper by learning to think that they are beneath his dignity—that is, by Pride. The devil laughs. He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride—just as he would be quite content to see your chilblains cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.

Self-righteousness is one of the biggest enemies of western Christians (including me).  We must root it out and see it crucified.

The Long, Long Depression

I’m no economist, but I enjoyed reading this well reasoned and historically informed view of our current economic problems.  Essentially we have entered into a structured depression that may take decades to emerge from until three core issues are resolved.

The Long, Long Depression – Matthew Lynn – National Review Online

Saving Leonardo on sale

I enjoy reading Nancy Pearcey. She does good research, knows how to make a point well and is intelligent.  While I haven’t finished reading Saving Leonardo (I’m about two thirds of the way through), I’ve appreciated what I have read, and it has been very useful in forming my thinking.

So, it is worth pointing out that her book Saving Leonardo is on sale at Amazon.com now for $2.69 on the kindle.

I encourage you to spend the paltry amount of money to purchase it and read it.  Even if you don’t read all of it, you’ll benefit from the first few chapters.

While you’re there, you might want to consider purchasing Total Truth – one of her other books.  I haven’t read it yet, but have heard good things about it.

If you don’t have a kindle, you can either buy one, or download one of the free kindle apps for your computer, phone or iPad.

Great example of NZ reporting

News reporting doesn’t get much more small-town than in New Zealand.  This from the biggest city in the country.

Three vehicle nose-to-tail on Auckland motorway – National – NZ Herald News

Wow.  Thats news?